The 2017 International Technology and Application Conference on Bio-based Materials was held in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, on April 20-21.

The two-day event, with the theme of “Green Matters”, focused on innovation and applications for bio-based materials, with the topics ranging from bio-based chemicals, bio-based polymers to bio-based materials application.

More than 30 prestigious experts from home and abroad including Xue Qunji, an expert on the chemistry of materials from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Robert F H Dekker, senior visiting professor of Brazil’s Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, and over 100 representatives from bio-based materials companies participated in the conference.

Through in-depth communication and exchanges, the scholars and company representatives got to know each other quickly, making it possible to promote the further integration of cutting-edge technology and capital in the industry.

The conference was jointly sponsored by the Ningbo Bureau of Science and Technology, Materials and Chemical Engineering Branch, the National Academy of Sciences Alliance, the Ningbo Institute of Industrial Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and DT-Polymer.

As one of China’s emerging fields, the bio-based materials industry has seen rapid development in recent years, with an annual growth rate of around 20 percent. The industry’s total annual output has reached 6 million tons, and this is predicted to double by 2020. 

Bio-based materials are now often preferred over petrochemical products as they are more environmentally-friendly and resource efficient.

The 2017 International Technology and Application Conference on Bio-based Materials kicks off in Ningbo on April 20. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]